This post was originally published on this site
A local television tragedy is unfolding before our eyes. I’ve been around a long time, but I’ve never before seen a company knowingly destroy its brand value and the public trust that comes with it.
Byron Allen had big plans. He seemed to show up every time a large media deal was announced, usually offering a sky-high bid, but never seeming to get close. He even tried to buy CBS.
I always liked Allen, going back to his days as a one-man syndicator, relentlessly pitching his shows as he grew his company. I even wrote a glowing piece a couple of years ago, but that was then.
Allen probably still has big plans, and I would never count him out, but Allen Media’s decision to remove local meteorologists from every one of its 28 markets is one of the saddest moves I have ever seen a company make. Tragic is perhaps a better word.
Those meteorologists will be replaced by Atlanta-based meteorologists working for The Weather Channel, which Allen owns. The move will undoubtedly save money and is even being touted in a press release as “The Power of The Weather Channel is coming to Your Local Television Station.”
I own a home in one of the markets served by an Allen Media station. It’s a long-time dominant station known in particular for its emergency weather coverage. This is a tornado-prone market, so people stay glued to the station’s continuing coverage whenever tornado watches are posted.
The station has (had) an impressive chief meteorologist who is